Government pays out £57 million to farmers

Around 13,000 farmers were impacted by severe wet weather, including Storms Henk and Babet, between October and March last year, with more than 12,700 recovery payments ranging from £2,895 - £25,000 now being made.

These are one off recovery payments which will support land recovery activities such as soil remediation, recultivation and the removal of any debris caused by flooding.

The vast majority (95%) of eligible farm businesses have now received their payments after the funding was confirmed two weeks ago on 13 November. Outstanding payments will continue to be made.

Farming Minister Daniel Zeichner said: “In just two weeks we have paid over £57 million to farms affected by devastating flooding – £10 million more than the previous Government.

“However, we are going further by investing £5 billion for the farming budget over two years – with the largest ever directed at sustainable food production in our country’s history.

“This demonstrates this Government’s steadfast commitment to farmers,” added Mr Zeichner.

The government also recently confirmed that £50 million would be distributed to internal drainage boards (IDBs), the public bodies responsible for managing water levels for agricultural and environmental needs in a particular area.

The farming budget is £5 billion over the next two years.